In an analysis of pairs of kidneys from the same donor in which one kidney was used but the other was discarded, the kidneys that were used tended to perform well. The majority of discarded kidneys could have potentially been transplanted with good outcomes.

A new mapping technique shows how researchers are developing computational tools that combine cellphone records with data from satellites and geographic information systems to create timely and incredibly detailed poverty maps. Unlike surveys or censuses, which can take years and cost millions of dollars, these maps can be generated quickly and cost-efficiently.

Ecologists commonly round off the individuality of individuals, treating animals of the same species, sex, and age like identical units. But individual differences can have demographic effects on interpretation of data at the scale of whole populations, if due to an underlying variability in individual quality, not chance. Researchers examined in the peculiarities that make some wandering albatrosses more successful than others.

Claims for unnecessary medical services remain steady, despite changes in the insurance market designed to place more spending decisions in consumers' hands, report investigators. An increasingly common type of high-deductible insurance plan is touted for its money-saving potential, but a growing body of research indicates the plans don't motivate patients - or doctors - to curb spending on unnecessary medical services.

Researchers have presented a new design that, in tests, enabled gallium nitride power devices to handle voltages of 1,200 volts. That's already enough capacity for use in electric vehicles, but the researchers believe that further work can boost its capacity to the 3,300-to-5,000-volt range, to bring the efficiencies of gallium nitride to the power electronics in the electrical grid itself.

The first determination of the atomic structure of Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 8 (TRPM8), a molecular sensor in nerve ends that detects cold temperatures as well as menthol and other chemicals that induce cold sensations, has been made by scientists.

Nature inspires innovation. An international team of scientists has discovered how a brittle star can create material like tempered glass underwater. The findings may open new bio-inspired routes for toughening brittle ceramics in various applications that span from optical lenses to automotive turbochargers and even biomaterial implants.

New research, using mice to identify a neural link between spatial learning and socialization, hints at new avenues to help people with autism and other social behavior disorders that affect their prefrontal cortex.

The subtle properties of mirror molecules have been revealed by a new study. The researchers examined camphor photoionization using an ultrafast laser. Circularly polarized light directed at camphor molecules allowed the measurement of electron emission, giving the first precise measurement of the asymmetry in the reaction of a camphor molecule. It confirms that more electrons are emitted in one direction, but also leads to the discovery that they are emitted seven attoseconds earlier than in the opposite.

Although obesity is a well-known risk factor for getting cardiovascular disease, a controversial body of research suggests that obesity may actually be associated with improved survival among people who have cardiovascular disease. However, a new study finds that the 'obesity paradox' is not present among people with new cases of cardiovascular disease.

Scientists have developed a new algorithm that can identify distinct dolphin click patterns among millions of clicks in recordings of wild dolphins. This approach could potentially help distinguish between dolphin species in the wild.

Finding ways to get around those broken networks in the brain is an important area of research for those seeking to develop treatment interventions. Now researchers are showing in monkeys that stimulation delivered directly to the premotor cortex can elicit a feeling or experience that can instruct different movements, even when the stimulus is too small to induce any response directly.

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers are using adaptive optics (AO) to analyze retinal eye damage from the August solar eclipse on a cellular level. The research could help doctors develop a deeper understanding of this rare condition, called solar retinopathy, which has no currently accepted treatment.

Scientists report a modified CRISPR-Cas9 technique that alters the activity, rather than the underlying sequence, of disease-associated genes. The researchers demonstrate that this technique can be used in mice to treat several different diseases.

Stress from human disturbances could cause behavioral responses in narwhals that are inconsistent with their physiological capacities, researchers say. They found that narwhals released after entanglement in nets and outfitted with heart monitors performed a series of deep dives, swimming hard to escape, while their heart rates dropped to unexpectedly low levels of three to four beats per minute.

Most people are now familiar with the traditional 'Out of Africa' model: modern humans evolved in Africa and then dispersed across Asia and reached Australia in a single wave about 60,000 years ago. However, technological advances in DNA analysis and other fossil identification techniques, as well as an emphasis on multidisciplinary research, are revising this story. Recent discoveries show that humans left Africa multiple times prior to 60,000 years ago, and that they interbred with other hominins in many locations across Eurasia.

Biologists have discovered how New Caledonian crows make one of their most sophisticated tool designs -- sticks with a neatly shaped hooked tip. New Caledonian crows are the only species besides humans known to manufacture hooked tools in the wild. The study reveals how crows manage to fashion particularly efficient tools, with well-defined 'deep' hooks.

The physical and chemical 'fingerprint' profile of a parasitic worm, which infects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, has been uncovered by researchers -- a discovery that could allow for more effective and earlier treatment. They have captured detailed movies reproducing the process the worm goes through as it enters the body and sheds its skin allowing them to interrogate the worm surface and its sheath in unprecedented detail.

Researchers describe a new approach to prevent death in essential kidney cells during kidney disease. Studying multiple animal models of kidney disease, the team discovered a compound that can impede loss of the filtration cells and restore kidney function. The work, inspired by an investigation into a genetic form of the condition, has the potential to affect therapeutic research for millions of people suffering from progressive kidney diseases.

Nearly 100 hydropower dams are planned for construction along tributaries off the Mekong River's 2,700-mile stretch. In a new article, researchers present a mathematical formula to balance power generation needs with the needs of fisheries downstream.

Black holes are famous for their muscle: an intense gravitational pull known to gobble up entire stars and launch streams of matter into space at almost the speed of light. It turns out the reality may not live up to the hype.

Researchers used whole-genome sequencing of individual neurons and found strong evidence that brain mutations accumulate as we age. They also found that mutations accumulate at a higher rate in people with genetic premature aging disorders causing early brain degeneration.

A significant amount of the methane naturally released into the atmosphere comes from the ocean. This has long puzzled scientists because there are no known methane-producing organisms near the ocean's surface. A team of researchers has made a discovery that could help to answer this 'ocean methane paradox.'

Scientists have taken the first step towards a comprehensive atlas of gene expression in cells across the developing human brain, making available new insights into how specific cells and gene networks contribute to building this most complex of organs, and serving as a resource for researchers around the world to study the interplay between these genetic programs and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, intellectual disability, and schizophrenia.

The brain's complex network of neurons enables us to interpret and effortlessly navigate and interact with the world around us. But when these links are damaged due to injury or stroke, critical tasks like perception and movement can be disrupted. New research is helping scientists figure out how to harness the brain's plasticity to rewire these lost connections, an advance that could accelerate the development of neuro-prosthetics.

Canola oil is one of the most widely consumed vegetable oils, yet little is known about its health effects. Now, a study links canola oil consumption in the diet with worsened memory, worsened learning ability and weight gain in mice which model Alzheimer's disease. It's the first study to suggest that canola oil is more harmful than healthful for the brain.

To understand what has gone wrong when cancer occurs and to create new possibilities for treatment, it is important to understand the molecular mechanisms behind what is happening at the cellular level. New research explains how the motor of an enzyme in DNA damage repair is switched on and off and how these processes might go awry in cancer.

Observations of two galaxies made with the National Science Foundation-funded Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope suggest that large galaxies formed faster than scientists had previously thought.

New research explains how an enzyme acts as a kind of thermostat that responds to and adjusts levels of cholesterol in the cell. This insight could lead to new strategies for combating high cholesterol.

A novel nanoscale device has been developed for detecting DNA biomarkers. The device preconfines translocating molecules using an ultrathin nanoporous silicon nitride membrane separated from a single sensing nanopore by a nanoscale cavity. The membrane serves as a pre-filter and improves the DNA sensing capabilities of the nanopore in multiple ways.

Researchers have developed a new imaging system that is designed to monitor the health of crops in the field or greenhouse. The new technology could one day save farmers significant money and time by enabling intelligent agricultural equipment that automatically provides plants with water or nutrients at the first signs of distress.

Researchers have studied 389,166 volunteers who gave DNA samples to the UK Biobank, US Health and Retirement Study and the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. In addition to confirming the eight genetic variants that had already been linked to longevity, this study found 17 more to expand the list of known variants affecting lifespan to 25 genes, with some sex-specific.

Classical scholars have discovered a large number of sealings in southeast Turkey. More than 1,000 sealings give new insights into the Greco-Roman pantheon. The finds were in a late antique building complex point to a hitherto unknown church.

A new photothermal treatment could help to overcome antibiotic resistance. In this method, an agent transforms near-infrared light into local heating, which kills the pathogens. However, this 'transformer' must first be activated. In this case the target bacteria do this themselves. Other types of bacteria do not switch the agent on and remain unharmed.

Using anonymous mobile phone data, researchers have tapped into patterns in people’s behavior. They have found out that our ‘chronotypes’ – our inherent periods of sleep during a 24-hour-period – correlate with the size of our social networks and how much we are in contact with others and also the kind of chronotypes with whom we interact.

A researcher has been investigating why Australians are among the top users of illegal drugs in the world -- and has uncovered some revealing new facts about the motivations of recreational drug users.

Freshwater resources are critical to both human civilization and natural ecosystems, but researchers have discovered that changes to ground vegetation can have as much of an impact on global water resources as climate change.

Vocoded speech, or distorted speech that imitates voice transduction by a cochlear implant, is used throughout acoustic and auditory research to explore speech comprehension under various conditions. Researchers evaluated whether musicians had an advantage in understanding and reciting degraded speech as compared to nonmusicians.

A new combination therapy for the first line treatment of advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) improves progression-free survival (PFS), according to results of a phase III IMpower150 trial.

What if you could look into the brains of potential drug abusers and see what messages would be most likely to persuade them to 'just say no?' That's the ultimate goal of researchers whose new study scanned the brains of people while they watched anti-drug public service announcements. You are subscribed to email updates from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily.To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Email delivery powered by Google Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States